State Department restarts some Central America assistance
The State Department will resume “targeted” foreign assistance for Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras, according to an announcement Wednesday.
The move comes after President Donald Trump in March ordered a freeze on hundreds of millions in development and security funding for the Central American nations. At the time, Trump said the countries hadn’t slowed adequately the outflow of migrants toward the U.S.
“Thanks to the president’s policy and to the response from these countries, we are seeing great progress,” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a written statement Wednesday. “To enable further progress in these countries’ efforts, some targeted Department of State and USAID funding will resume at this time.”
The State Department did not specify the amount of funds that would move forward. The Washington Examiner reported Tuesday that the administration would resume approximately $150 million in funding, a figure confirmed by a congressional aide.
Since Trump halted the foreign assistance, the U.S. has negotiated asylum agreements with the three Northern Triangle countries that would require those nations to accept asylum seekers who pass through their territory. Each of the deals will require additional steps to become effective.
Rep. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, criticized the original funding stoppage as “counterproductive"in a response to State’s announcement.
Engel the funding freeze “has damaged our standing in the Americas while also stopping us from addressing the root causes of child and family migration.”
Article originally published on POLITICO Magazine